HEALTHY PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD ARE THE BEST INVESTMENT FOR OUR FUTURE
Keith Norris, MD, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science
"Global health research is one of the most cost-effective ways to jumpstart the economic engine, and people are the source of that engine. If you can improve their health and well-being a little, you are making the best investment there is out there today."
Captivated in medical school by how the body works and how nutrients are processed and leave the body, Keith Norris, MD, began studying kidney disease and its largest risk factors: high blood pressure and diabetes. He then became more aware of the impact of this chronic disease on underserved and minority communities in the United States. But what is less known is the global problem of high blood pressure and kidney disease. Norris observes, "The landscape has significantly changed and increased for chronic medical conditions globally, with some developing countries starting to emulate the U.S. and other western nations."
His focus on underserved and minority populations, both in the U.S. and within developing nations, enables him and his fellow researchers to exchange new knowledge and lessons learned from their research that benefit the health of Americans and others around the world. "The lessons that we can learn from health solutions in other countries can be extremely valuable for us here in the U.S.," says Norris. "When we recognize that there's so much we don't know, we become open to what we can learn." This is why he advocates for the U.S. to invest more in global health research.
"Our current economic landscape emphasizes more than ever the need for research. We have the opportunity to use focused, cost-effective and innovative research to improve economic productivity for America and the global population. Global health research is one of the most cost-effective ways to jumpstart the economic engine, and people are the source of that engine. If you can improve their health and well-being a little, you are making the best investment there is out there today."
Norris knows firsthand the power of this research. One of his own patients was told she would be on dialysis for the rest of her life. But knowing the right combination of regulating her high blood pressure and finding the best medication vastly improved her life and allowed her to get off dialysis. The results of Norris' research are not only improving our health here in the U.S., they are improving the quality and cost-effectiveness of our healthcare system.